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[December 09, 2005]

VoIP offers another way to call

(News Tribune, The (Tacoma, WA) (KRT)) Dec. 9--Making calls on the telephone network is so last century. Now consumers are turning to the Internet to make cheap calls anywhere around the world.

The service started out free a few years ago (and still is if you can get your friends to subscribe to the same service and you talk through a headset connected to your computer).

But now users pay a flat fee for the service and a low per-minute

rate for long distance. About 2.5 million consumers subscribe to VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). About half of those are served by cable companies.

This year, mega-telecommunications companies such as Qwest and Comcast joined start-ups such as Vonage, Skype and Speakeasy to offer an alternative to land lines. Here are the pros and cons:

THE PROS:

--Rates: The biggest reason people switch is for cheap rates. Check this out: A call to Iraq costs $2.86 a minute with Qwest's traditional long-distance service. That same call costs 88 cents a minute with Qwest's VoIP service. Calls to Sydney, Australia, on Vonage cost 5 cents a minute. Tokyo is 6 cents a minute. A phone call to Japan with Qwest's long-distance service is $1.62 a minute. Consumers save $20 to $50 or more a month by using VoIP, and enjoy many more features and capabilities, according to the January issue of Consumer Reports.


--Bonus features: Most VoIP providers offer typical phone features such as voice mail, call waiting and caller ID. Bonuses include the ability to check voice mail on the Web and to forward calls to land lines when traveling.

--Tax break: There are no taxes. Traditional phone lines can add at least $10 in taxes and fees.

THE CONS:

--Inconsistent service: VoIP calls use the same Internet lines that carry e-mail. That means that when the servers behind the Internet have problems or when the power goes out, consumers might not be able to make phone calls. Sluggishness that affects getting a Web site to show up also can cause problems with phone calls.

--Quality: Though the technology is much better than a few years ago, some users report choppy calls that include voice delays.

--Emergency connection: Many small VoIP services don't provide 911 service. (Both Comcast and Qwest support 911 calls.) The 911 operator won't be able to tell where a call is coming from and might not be able to route emergency workers correctly. The Federal Communications Commission directed VoIP providers to make their services E911-compatible. Some urban areas in the U.S. are supporting E911 calls from most VoIP providers, while rural areas are taking longer to comply.

Consumer Reports strongly recommends that consumers keep a basic land line even if they get VoIP for day-to-day use.

PIERCE COUNTY VOIP OPTIONS:

--Qwest OneFlex $29.99 for unlimited calls Includes voicemail, call waiting.

--Vonage $24.99 for unlimited calls Includes voicemail, call waiting.

-- Skype. Free if you call only Skype members. About 2.3 cents per minute to call in North America, much of Europe, Asia and Australia. You must prepay. Outgoing calls only. Company is testing a two-way system.

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